# List of historic states of Germany

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Germany is traditionally a country organized as a federal state. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the German-speaking territories of the empire became allied in the German Confederation (1815–1866), a league of states with some federalistic elements. After the Austro-Prussian War, Prussia led the Northern states into a federal state called the North German Confederation (1867–1870). The Southern states joined the federal state in 1870/71, which was consequently renamed the German Empire (1871–1918). The state continued as the Weimar Republic (1919–1933).
Present-day Germany is a federal republic which combines the States of Germany.

## States of the German Confederation

| State | State | Capital |
| Empires (Kaisertümer) |||
| | Austria (Österreich) (only western Cisleithania) | Vienna |
| Kingdoms (Königreiche) |||
| | Bavaria (Bayern) | Munich |
| | Hanover (Hannover) | Hanover |
| | Prussia (Preußen) (excluding Posen, East Prussia and West Prussia) | Berlin |
| | Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
| | Württemberg | Stuttgart |
| Electorates (Kurfürstentum) |||
| | Hesse-Kassel (Hessen-Kassel) | Kassel |
| Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer) |||
| | Baden | Karlsruhe |
| | Hesse-Darmstadt (Hessen-Darmstadt) | Darmstadt |
| | Luxembourg (Luxemburg) | Luxembourg |
| | Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
| | Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
| | Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
| | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
| Duchies (Herzogtümer) |||
| | Anhalt – from 1863 | Dessau |
| | Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
| | Holstein | Glückstadt |
| | Limburg – from 1839 | N/A |
| | Nassau | Wiesbaden |
| | Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) – from 1826 | Altenburg |
| | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) – from 1826 | Coburg |
| | Saxe-Lauenburg | Ratzeburg |
| | Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
| Principalities (Fürstentümer) |||
| | Hohenzollern-Hechingen – to Prussia in 1850 | Hechingen |
| | Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen – to Prussia in 1850 | Sigmaringen |
| | Liechtenstein | Vaduz |
| | Lippe | Detmold |
| | Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) | Gera |
| | Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) | Greiz |
| | Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
| | Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
| | Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |
| | Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) | Arolsen |
| Landgraviates (Landgrafschaft) |||
| | Hesse-Homburg (Hessen-Homburg) – from 1817 | Bad Homburg |
| Free Cities (Freie Städte) |||
| | Bremen | Bremen |
| | Frankfurt | Frankfurt |
| | Hamburg | Hamburg |
| | Lübeck | Lübeck |
| States merged to form Anhalt |||
| | Anhalt-Dessau – merged with Anhalt-Bernburg in 1863 | Dessau |
| | Anhalt-Bernburg – merged with Anhalt-Dessau in 1863 | Bernburg |
| | Anhalt-Köthen – merged with Anhalt-Dessau in 1853 | Köthen |
| States split between Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Altenburg in 1826 |||
| | Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg) | Gotha |
| | Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld) | Coburg |
| | Saxe-Hildburghausen (Sachsen-Hildburghausen) | Hildburghausen |
In 1864, Austria and Prussia together became the new sovereign of Holstein (a member of the confederation) and Schleswig (outside the confederation).

## States of the North German Confederation

| State | State | Capital |
| Kingdoms (Königreiche) |||
| | Prussia (Preußen) as a whole (including Lauenburg) | Berlin |
| | Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
| Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer) |||
| | Hesse (Hessen) (Only Upper Hesse, the province north of the river Main) | Giessen |
| | Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
| | Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
| | Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
| | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
| Duchies (Herzogtümer) |||
| | Anhalt | Dessau |
| | Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
| | Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) | Altenburg |
| | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) | Coburg |
| | Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
| Principalities (Fürstentümer) |||
| | Lippe | Detmold |
| | Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) | Gera |
| | Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) | Greiz |
| | Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
| | Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
| | Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |
| | Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) | Arolsen |
| Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte) |||
| | Bremen | Bremen |
| | Hamburg | Hamburg |
| | Lübeck | Lübeck |

## States of the German Empire

| State | State | Capital |
| Kingdoms (Königreiche) |||
| | Prussia (Preußen) as a whole | Berlin |
| | Bavaria (Bayern) | Munich |
| | Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
| | Württemberg | Stuttgart |
| Grand Duchies (Großherzogtümer) |||
| | Baden | Karlsruhe |
| | Hesse (Hessen) | Darmstadt |
| | Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
| | Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
| | Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
| | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
| Duchies (Herzogtümer) |||
| | Anhalt | Dessau |
| | Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
| | Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) | Altenburg |
| | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) | Coburg |
| | Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
| Principalities (Fürstentümer) |||
| | Lippe | Detmold |
| | Reuss-Gera (Junior Line) | Gera |
| | Reuss-Greiz (Elder Line) | Greiz |
| | Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
| | Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
| | Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |
| | Waldeck and Pyrmont (Waldeck und Pyrmont) | Arolsen |
| Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte) |||
| | Bremen | Bremen |
| | Hamburg | Hamburg |
| | Lübeck | Lübeck |
| Imperial Territories (Reichsländer) |||
| | Alsace–Lorraine (Elsass-Lothringen) | Straßburg |

## States of the Weimar Republic

| State | State | Capital |
| Free States (Freistaaten) |||
| | Anhalt | Dessau |
| | Baden | Karlsruhe |
| | Bavaria (Bayern) | Munich |
| | Brunswick (Braunschweig) | Braunschweig |
| | Coburg – to Bavaria in 1920 | Coburg |
| | Hesse (Hessen) | Darmstadt |
| | Lippe | Detmold |
| | Mecklenburg-Schwerin | Schwerin |
| | Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Neustrelitz |
| | Oldenburg | Oldenburg |
| | Prussia (Preußen) | Berlin |
| | Saxony (Sachsen) | Dresden |
| | Schaumburg-Lippe | Bückeburg |
| | Thuringia (Thüringen) – from 1920 | Weimar |
| | Waldeck-Pyrmont – to Prussia (Pyrmont joined Prussia in 1921, Waldeck followed in 1929) | Arolsen |
| | Württemberg | Stuttgart |
| Free and Hanseatic Cities (Freie und Hansestädte) |||
| | Bremen | Bremen |
| | Hamburg | Hamburg |
| | Lübeck | Lübeck |
| States merged to form Thuringia in 1920 |||
| | Gotha | Gotha |
| | Reuss | Gera |
| | Saxe-Altenburg (Sachsen-Altenburg) | Altenburg |
| | Saxe-Meiningen (Sachsen-Meiningen) | Meiningen |
| | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) | Weimar |
| | Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Rudolstadt |
| | Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Sondershausen |